Defiance
by xXsalt-N-pepperXx
Summary: A possible spoiler for a RyuLiculn romance.


Note: This is HeartlessSleeve from gaiaonline's story, not mine. It is posted with his permission. This story is fanfiction for a roleplay on gaiaonline.

Defiance

Authors Note: This story is a possible spoiler for the RP! don't read this is you'd like to be surprised!

_It's funny how different you can be, only to end up the same._

Liculn sat back, her head lolling over the back of the chair as the class buzzed around her. She saw an upside-down Ze, glaring at her with his usual cold attitude. She smiled and sat up again, scribbling a note onto page and ripping it out of her book. She leant back again and handed it to Ze. He glanced at it cautiously then rolled his eyes, writing a short answer before handing it back. She took it with glee and read it. 

'Ze, watcha up to?'

'Ignoring you.'

The words were neat and precise, almost piercing through the page. She smiled and pocketed the note. For some reason, today was a good day. She heard a whisper from beside her and turned to see Ryu watching her. Her day had just been ruined.

'What did you say?' She said, in a stage whisper. Several heads turned and she smiled at the faces before glaring back at the grinning man. He smiled in that oh-so-sexy way, at least, according to him it was. She stuck her tongue out, but he only smiled wider.

'I said, my dear Liculn, that if you're going to send notes, why not send one to me?'

She rolled her eyes away and looked to the front of the class. Miss Berri was talking to a younger student about paragraphs, giving Liculn time to kick him in the shin underneath the desks. He grunted and swore. Miss Berri looked up and frowned.

'You have something to say, Ryu?'

Ryu clutched his shin in his hand and glanced at Liculn.

'Yes ma'am. I have a few things to say, but I won't waste your time with them.'

Miss Berri frowned again, at the sarcasm, and nodded, turning back to the board.

'Actually Miss Berri?'

She turned around and Ryu stood up.

'I'd like to take this moment to announce my tutoring program. For those who are suffering in English. I'll help with anything from paraphrasing to grammar. Say, for people who are having trouble with tenses?'

He gave a sly glance to Liculn and her fallen face. Everybody knew Liculn couldn't tell a past tense from a future tense to save her life. Miss Berri brightened up.

'How lovely. I'll find some students for you, shall I Ryu?'

Ryu nodded and sat back down, smiling widely over at Liculn, who was struggling to kill him with her mind.

--- --- ---

Class ended without any further warfare from Liculn. She was happy to leave the room as quickly as possible and was practically running out the door, but Miss Berri suddenly appeared in front of her, bringing her to a screeching stop.

'Liculn, I bet you were glad to hear about Ryu's tutoring program? As soon as he said that lovely introduction I thought of you.'

'Yes Miss, I'm thrilled.' The words dripped with sarcasm, but Miss Berri continued cheerfully.

'He told me he'd hold a trial lesson tonight, to see how it goes. I'd like you to be the first student!'   
Liculn grimaced and nodded, not even imagining the horror he would put her through. Miss Berri gave a joyful laugh and clapped Liculn on the back.

'He said that 8:00 p.m. would be fine, and to bring some food, as it'll be late into the night.' 

Liculn frowned, but hid it by nodding hurriedly and running out of the classroom.

--- --- ---

Her room was a mess. She'd searched and searched for her favourite shirt, but it had been missing since last Thursday and she had no other loose shirts that would make her look indifferent towards him. She growled and pulled a delicate white shirt over her head, slipping it down to her hips and smoothing it out.

'What am I doing?'

She slumped onto her bed and pulled her doona over her sideways, mumbling and grunting as she tried to fade into the bed. A knock came on her door and she shouted,

'Go away'.

Sadly, Ryu was more defiant than that. He opened the door and smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

'Hello there.'

Liculn screamed into her doona and rolled over, covering her face with her hands.

'Aww, come now little birdie, I just want to help you with English.'

She felt the mattress compress as he sat down. He was too close for comfort and she tried to roll away but he was too fast. She felt a hand on her side pulling her over to him. She rolled and opened her eyes.

Damn.

He was right over her, his face calm and serene. He smiled genuinely and leant down, butt his time she was ready. She slipped out through his arms and sped out through the open door, skidding into the hallway and down the stairs into the cafeteria. She hid behind one of the counters and waited. As she expected, he knew where she was, but he humoured her by acting confused.

'Well, seeing as Liculn's slipped my grasp, once again, could you let her know I'm in my room, if you see her? Thank you all.'

He just 'decided' to exit through the other door, so he could pass the counter she had used as refuge and whisper,

'See you soon, little birdie.' 

--- --- ---

The boys' dormitory was silent. Most likely they were all out having fun. Liculn's heart sank with every step that brought her closer to Ryu's room. Finally, she reached the wooden door and knocked, grimacing at the speed at which he opened it.

'Hi Liculn. Come on in.'

He opened the door wide and ushered her in, surprising her with the lack of formality. No candles, no tablecloth or cheesy music playing. There were just books. He smiled and sat before the books, patting a spot in front of him and opening the book closest to him. It was a grammar book.

'So we're actually going to do work?'

Liculn was more than surprised. She sat and he nodded.

'I'm serious about this tutoring thing, Li.'

She gave him a withering glare and he sighed.

'Sorry, Liculn.'

She looked away, slightly ashamed, but mainly wary. Maybe this was just a tutoring lesson.

He smiled and clapped his hands.

'O.K. Can you tell me what a past tense is… um….', he pretended to look through a sea of hands then glanced at Liculn. 'Liculn, could you tell me please? But next time, don't be so eager.'

He smiled and she struggled not to return it.

'A past tense… Uh… A past tense is…'

She sighed and crossed her arms. Suddenly she felt a nudge on her knee. A dictionary sat to her right and she looked up. Ryu was busying himself with straightening the pages of his textbook. She granted him a small smile and picked it up, searching for 'Past tense'.

'A past tense is a noun, it means, a verb tense used to express an action or a condition that occurred in or during the past. For example, in While she was sewing, he read aloud, was sewing and read are in the past tense.' 

She looked up and saw him smiling at her. She flushed and looked back down to the dictionary.  
He bowed his head and smiled to himself.

'And a future tense please…' Again he pretended that Liculn was amidst a sea of volunteers. This time she put her hand up, slowly at first, but higher as he looked away from her. 'Ah, Liculn again. On a roll today, eh?'

She chuckled, ashamed at herself for granting him that satisfaction, then searched for future tense in the large dictionary.

'A future tense is a verb expressing future time.'

She looked up and he nodded.

'Now can you give me an example?'

She looked back at the dictionary and frowned.

'There isn't one.'

He shook his head and gently took the dictionary from her.

'I mean, could you give me a future tense example.' He watched her calmly, waiting for her answer. She frowned.

'Um… I will have some food today?'

He clapped his hands and she smiled.

'Possibly the weakest sentence I've ever heard, but the future tense was correctly used.'

She whacked his knee with her writing book and smiled, eventually looking away as the silence mounted.

'Food.'

She looked up at Ryu's smiling face.

'Time for food, doncha think?'

She smiled and nodded standing and looking around. Ryu emerged from rummaging through his drawers with two plates heaped with food and a bottle of coke. She raised her eyebrows and took one of the plates. 

'You like chicken, don't you?'

She nodded, hiding her glee at having the food she'd been craving all day. 

They ate. The food was beautiful, but she described it as 'A little stale' when he asked her opinion.

At her comment, he put his half-finished plate down and sighed. She looked up.

'What?' 

'Why do you wage this war on me?'

She looked back at her food and put down the chip she'd begun to eat. She picked up another chip and tried to avoid his gaze. He reached out and gently removed the plate from her grip, putting it beside his and looking her in the eye.

'Why?'  
She grimaced, sighing and finishing off the food in her mouth before speaking.

'I don't know.'

'So you just decided that I should suffer?'

She looked away but he drew his fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him.

'Why should I suffer Li?'

He didn't correct his mistake. He just gazed at her, waiting for her answer. When it didn't come, he sighed, looking away.

'You're too cocky.'

He looked up again, surprised at the reply.

'I'm too cocky? Did you ever feel that maybe I was compensating for something?'

She cocked her head to one side and frowned.  
He growled and picked up the dictionary, thrusting it into her hands before standing and walking into his bathroom.  
She read it out loud, but she kept the last bit to herself.  
'Compensate - make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities; "he is compensating for being shy"'

She bit her lip and looked up. He was in the doorway, watching her. She looked back down, ashamed. He walked over and sat down beside her, putting a hand on the dictionary under the last line of text.

'I've been shy my whole life. Since I was born, to last year, before I came to Deskudo. I decided, at those very gates, that I was going to be a new man. Apparently I over-did it.'

A heavy silence fell between them and Liculn looked at him, watching him in the soft light as he read the dictionary page. Suddenly he met her gaze, but she didn't falter. He was surprised, to say the least, when she didn't move as he leant forward.

Their lips met.  
Liculn's mind wandered as the kiss lengthened. She had gone from avoiding a self-obsessed, cocky, annoying boy, to kissing this unsure, self-conscious, sensitive man. She frowned as the kiss went on, her eyes closing slightly as he put an arm around her. She leant back, meeting the bed as he finally released her. It was short lived. This time, she leant forwards to meet him. This shocked him the most, as she pushed him back onto the floor and lay on top of him. Wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. He put an arm around her shoulders and she nestled her head in the crook of his neck.

They stayed liked that for more than three hours, eventually falling asleep in each others' arms.

_It's funny how different you can be, only to end up the same. ___

_It's funny how love works._


End file.
